"This Will Have Catastrophic Consequences": Nintendo Leak Seemingly Explains Why The Switch 2 Has So Many Game-Key Releases

Summary

• One of the biggest problems facing the Nintendo Switch 2 is its approach to third-party physical games.
• Many of the titles coming to the console are only available with game-key cards that are basically access codes.
• This has seemingly been explained after a recent hack revealed Arc System Works' involvement with the Switch 2.

A recent leak has seemingly revealed why so many games on Switch 2 are using game-key cards, as Nintendo is reportedly only offering developers 64 GB cartridges or the controversial game-key format.

Considering how popular the original Switch has been over the past decade, its successor should have been one of the easiest slam-dunks in Nintendo's history. That hasn't exactly been the case, though, as the new console has run into a number of big issues since it was revealed, from how expensive its games are to a purported lack of innovation.

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Perhaps the most controversial part of the Switch 2's line-up, though, is how it's handling its third-party physical releases. Many of the games that are coming to the Switch 2 (aside from Cyberpunk 2077, of all games) will be using the game-key card that requires an additional download, instead of just being contained completely on the cartridge itself.

Arc System Works Hack Seemingly Confirms Why The Switch 2 Has So Many Game-Key Releases

Looks Like Developers Don't Have Much Choice

As you can imagine, this has caused a lot of fears about the Switch 2's approach to physical releases and made preservation even more of a worry than usual. Nintendo fans have wondered why this is the case for so many of the console's games since it was announced, with many assuming that it was simply a size limitation.

With some games not being 64 GB and still using a game-key card, it's raised some questions about how accurate that is. A new leak seems to have given us a bit of an explanation as to why this is the case, though. As pointed out by Nintendo Everything, Arc System Works recently suffered a hack that has shared more details about the Switch 2 since the studio is planning on supporting it in the future.

Twitter user necrolipe shared some info from the leaks that suggests that only three formats are available for Switch 2 games - digital releases, a 64 GB cartridge with the game included, and the game-key card (codenamed Potion). This indicates that Nintendo only offers those three formats instead of a smaller cartridge, which might push developers to go for the cheaper game-key option, which isn't being taken well at all.

CD Projekt Red previously confirmed that 64 GB is the maximum amount of space that a Switch 2 game can have, supporting this notion.

While the leak could be inaccurate or missing information, it does support the theory that game-key releases are so common because they're the cheaper option compared to having to go for expensive 64 GB cartridges.

Nintendo Switch 2

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